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1972 Matra 530LX

Offered by Osenat | Fontainebleau, France | June 17, 2018

Photo – Osenat

Matra was more than just a car company. In addition to automobiles, they built missiles, computers, boats, and satellites. Their first car was the Djet, an evolution of the earlier Rene Bonnet Djet. New for 1967, the 530 series was their next automotive endeavor.

If you’ve never seen one of these in person, they are quite striking. They look so unusual – even at car shows when surrounded by other rare vehicles. This car features a mid-mounted, 78 horsepower 1.7-liter V-4 from a Ford Taunus that drives the rear wheels. It is a targa, meaning the roof section is removable, leaving both front and rear glass in place. It does have room for four, though rear seat passengers better be small or very understanding.

The 530LX was produced from 1970 to 1973, when the entire line was discontinued. It differed from earlier models in that it featured a slight re-design from Michelotti. This was the most popular 530 model built, with 4,731 units produced. This rare yellow bird should bring between $21,000-$26,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Five Classic American Pickup Trucks (and one Canadian)

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 5-13, 2018

1939 Chevrolet Master Pickup

Photo – Mecum

The Chevrolet Master was produced between 1933 and 1942. After the war their model names would change, but the pickup truck had been part of their lineup for some time prior to that. Their pickups from this era shared the same basic design as their passenger cars as they were all offered as part of the same model line.

This truck is powered by Chevy’s 3.4-liter straight-six, likely producing 85 horsepower. The dark green shortbed example you see here was restored about 1,500 miles ago and it has a wooden bed. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $30,000.

1939 Plymouth Model PT81 1/2 Ton Pickup

Photo – Mecum

Yes, Plymouth built pickup trucks (other than the Scamp and Arrow). Before WWII started, they built some beautiful pickups. They built the Model PT line of trucks between 1937 and 1941, with the 1939 model dubbed “PT81.”

This truck is powered by a 3.3-liter straight-six. It’s well optioned and wonderfully restored. PT Plymouth pickups aren’t that easy to come by and they’re some of the prettiest trucks you can get. You can see more about this one here.

Update: Sold $36,300.

1941 Ford 1/2 Ton Pickup

Photo – Mecum

Mecum finds some great old pickups for their sales. The 1941 Ford was introduced, obviously, in 1941 and was the same model they picked up after the war ended, producing it through 1948. But, their 1941 Pickup used the leftover styling from 1940. So this truck was part of the newer line of cars (with a new-for-’41 color, Lockhaven Green), but still looks like an older one.

The engine here is an 85 horsepower, 3.6-liter Flathead V-8. This example had a frame-off restoration that took it back to as-new condition… likely better-than-new. Ford pickups never go out of style, and this is a great one. Click here for more info.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $32,000.

Update: Sold, Mecum Indy 2018, $37,400.

1957 Dodge D100 Pickup

Photo – Mecum

The 1957 Dodge pickups are great-looking trucks, especially the ultra-rare D100 Sweptside. As discussed in that post, the D100 was actually part of the C Series of pickups that Dodge offered between 1954 and 1960. The D100 was the 1/2 ton model.

In 1957, the engine was either a six or eight and this truck has the 5.2-liter Red Ram V-8 making 204 horsepower. And it. Is. Clean. This is a great color scheme for a truck, very 1957. The 1950s offered some pretty pickups, and this is no exception. See more here.

Update: Sold $55,000.

1959 Mercury M100 Pickup

Photo – Mecum

Yes, even Mercury got in on the pickup game after WWII. The Mercury M-Series was offered between 1946 and 1968. Sold primarily in Canada, these trucks more or less mirrored Ford’s American offerings with slightly different exterior styling.

This third generation truck is the Canadian equivalent of the Ford F100, meaning it’s the 1/2 ton model. Two engines were offered in 1959, a 3.7-liter straight-six or a 4.8-liter V-8, and this truck is equipped with the former. It’s a step-side pickup that presents well enough. This is an interesting truck and a rarity in the U.S. Click here for more.

Update: Not sold, high bid of $16,000.

1972 International 1210 Pickup

Photo – Mecum

International Harvester, now a company that builds tractors and semis, used to build passenger vehicles. The final examples rolled off the line in 1980, and those were SUVs. True pickup production ended in 1975 when they built their final example of the D-Series Light Line pickup rolled off the line. These trucks were built between 1969 and 1975.

This Model 1210 was the 3/4 ton model and it’s powered by a 6.4-liter V-8. It’s got 4-wheel drive and this example appears to be a survivor. International-branded pickups don’t get the credit they deserve in collector circles as everyone wants a Ford, Chevy or Dodge. These were the workhorse trucks. IHC would be doing good business today if they had remained in the market, but instead you’ll have to settle for a time capsule like this one. Click here for more info.

1972 Intermeccanica Indra Spider

Offered by Coys | Essen, Germany | April 8, 2017

Photo – Coys

Construzione Automobili Intermeccanica was a tiny car manufacturer that only built original models from 1966 through 1974. It’s a relatively short amount of time (even though they’ve been building replicas since) and yet, we’ve featured quite the array of their vehicles.

The Indra was the final non-replica Intermeccanica built and it lasted from 1971 through 1974. It was offered as a Convertible or in the form of two slightly different Coupes. Most of them were powered by V-8s from Chevrolet. When GM pulled their support, the Indra went out of production.

This example, with funky bucktoothed rally-style lights, is one of just 60 convertible Indras produced – 125 were built in total. This one should bring between $80,000-$90,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1972 Alpine A110 1600 S

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Milan, Italy | November 24-27, 2016

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Jean Rédélé’s Alpine began as a modifier of Renault cars for racing events. He founded the company in 1954 and the first true Alpine car appeared in 1955. But the company is known mainly for one model: the A110. This car was available in different forms between 1961 and 1977, racking up some series World Rally Championship victories along the way (including the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally).

Like all Alpines, this car is Renault-based. The 1600 S was a hotted-up version of the cozy little rear-engined coupe. In fact, it was the second most-powerful version they ever made. It is powered by a 1.6-liter straight-four making 138 horsepower. The 1600 S could only be had from 1970 through about 1971, though this is listed as a ’72.

This car looks really nice but is definitely a driver – which is good because, despite the relatively modest power rating, these are light, nimble cars that would be a lot of fun. About 7,500 A110s of all types were built, but narrowing down to this model is sort of difficult. Anyway, it’ll sell for between $100,000-$115,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1972 Intermeccanica Indra Coupe

Offered by Auctionata | Berlin, Germany | October 29, 2016

We’ve featured a couple of sports cars from Intermeccanica, a Turin-based automobile manufacturer whose badge included the Union Jack. The company still exists, building replica automobiles in Canada.

The Indra was available as a coupe and convertible between 1971 and 1975. The design and engineering work was done jointly by Bitter and Opel. This early example is powered by a 5.3-liter V-8 from General Motors that makes 230 horsepower.

Only 125 Indras were built and only 36 were of this body/engine combination (as GM stopped supplying engines in 1973). This one carries a relatively recent restoration and looks pretty good. The auction for this car starts at $60,000 and has an estimated sale price of $95,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Shooting Brake by Panther Westwinds

We’ll start by urging you to go to Gooding & Company’s website to check out more pictures of this awesome car. Sure, it’s a Ferrari Daytona, but it has been turned into a shooting brake – a two-door wagon. The rear section features a lot of glass, including a huge rear window and gullwing-hinged side glass that fold up. It’s astonishing.

As a 365 GTB/4 this car is powered by a 4.4-liter V-12 making 352 horsepower. The design was actually done by Luigi Chinetti Jr. for a customer at his dealership. The body was built by Panther Westwinds, a manufacturer of sports cars in their own right.

The first owner was a Floridian who surely enjoyed driving this mobile, black, glass greenhouse. It would have a few other American owners (and one Belgian). The current owner acquired the car in 2013 and had it completely restored. It has only covered 4,500 miles in its life, which is incredible. This unique one-off is expected to bring between $700,000-$1,000,000. Click here for more from this sale.

1972 Scamp Mk I

Offered by H&H Classics | Castle Donington, U.K. | July 28, 2016

Photo – H&H Classics

Mini Mokes are very popular, even to this day. Especially in Monaco, for some strange reason. But BMC stopped building the Moke in 1969 – their loss, as other companies sprouted up to build similar cars based on the popular and easy-to-find Mini.

One such company was Robert Mandry’s Scamp Motor Company (which is still around today). The Mk I Scamp went on sale in 1969 and was available through 1977. The cars were built using mostly Mini parts and the owners were responsible for some of the construction. This particular example uses a 1.1-liter straight-four.

Mk I production was about 200 per year – not a lot, but not nothing. There were dozens of other manufacturers doing similar tings, but Scamp’s are fairly unique. This version is a pickup with some kind of canvas-covered mid-section. It’s interesting. This one, described as being in “good condition,” should bring between $4,000-$5,250. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1972 Puma GT Coupe

Offered by Auctions America | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | April 1, 2016

Photo – Auctions America

Brazil is on the board! It’s always interesting to add a new country to our geographical list of cars and Brazil is the newest addition. Puma was based in São Paolo and they got their start in 1966. Brazil was a strange case – it’s a huge country and imported cars were very expensive. Only manufacturers that built cars in Brazil really sold them there: like GM and VW.

So what do you think this Puma is based on? That’s right, a Volkswagen. It’s got a rear-mounted 1.6-liter flat-four. Complete cars were available in Brazil and some were exported to the U.S. in kit form. A convertible was also offered.

The Puma GT was built between 1968 and lasted up through 1995 when the company went under (the car’s popularity across the sea is one reason the company sprang back to life in 2006 in South Africa). This GT is one of 330 Coupes built in 1972 (they built 484 total cars that year). Puma’s total production as a marque was over 22,000 cars. This car is fully restored and comes out of a Brazilian collection. It should bring between $10,000-$15,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1972 Iso Lele

Offered by Coys | Frankfurt, Germany | September 26, 2015

Photo – Coys

Renzo Rivolta re-founded the Iso refrigeration company in 1953 as an automotive company. Motorcycles came first, followed by the iconic Isetta – which would go on to be licensed all over the world. But in the 1960s and 70s, Iso produced a number of high performance cars.

The Lele was the final new car introduced by Iso and would be the last to leave production (alongside a version of the Grifo). Two models of the Lele were offered – one powered by a Chevrolet engine and one powered by a Ford engine. This car uses the 5.7-liter Ford V-8 making 326 horsepower.

It’s a 2+2, meaning it will seat four – making it more of a grand tourer than a muscle or sports car. This car is all original and had one owner from new until 2014. Only 285 were produced between 1969 an 1974. 135 of the base Ford V-8 models were produced, the most of any Lele sub-model. This one should bring between $100,000-$125,000. Click here for more info and here fore the rest of Coys’ lineup.

1972 Maserati Boomerang Concept by Italdesign

Offered by Bonhams | Chantilly, France | September 5, 2015

Photo – Bonhams

This wild – and iconic – 1970s Italian concept car was designed by the master himself, Giorgetto Giugiaro. This is a concept car in the classic sense of concept cars – out there ideas that really don’t have a shot at production. But unlike many, this thing is not only fully functional, but road registered.

It’s powered by a 4.7-liter V-8 from a Bora making 310 horsepower. The engine is mounted in the rear and the driver sits in a sort of glass greenhouse. The front of the sharp wedge has a giant, (and we mean giant) Maserati trident slapped on there so there’s no mistaking what company this car represents. Remember, this is from 1972 – cars that actually looked like this (wedges sharp lines and creases… think Lotus Esprit) were on sale for decades after.

The Boomerang premiered at the 1971 Turin Motor Show and made its rounds across Europe in 1972: Geneva, Paris, London, Barcelona. It was sold after the Barcelona show to a Spanish resident until a German took it home with him in 1980. It was restored and appeared at shows as early as 1990. A few other owners have had the pleasure to be this car’s caretaker and it had another slight restoration in 2003. It’s been welcomed at car shows all over the world and will continue to be. This is a rare chance to own a true concept car from one of the greatest automotive designers of all time. No pre-sale estimate is available, but if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.